Cayden's Week I

I sat in Cayden’s special carriage. The one meant to carry his mate home. It was regal, draped in Blue Moon’s silver and black, trimmed with threads of hope and pride… hope that today, I would have chosen him.

But I hadn’t.

Outside, I saw the crowd. Faces filled with disappointment, confusion, and restrained rage. They had waited years for this day. For me. And I had left them hanging.

If it hadn’t been for the presence of the other Alphas, if they hadn’t feared starting a war… they might have torn me apart.

And then Cayden entered the carriage.

His aura hit me like a wall so familiar, so powerful. It swallowed the air and filled the space. My body reacted before my mind could process it. I turned to him.

His hand slid into mine.

“Darren,” he said, voice low, commanding.

My heart thumped. I bit my lip. I turned my head away before I crumbled beneath his voice. Fuck, I wasn’t ready for this.

He gently cupped my cheek. His warmth—his scent rushed back all at once.

“darling,” he whispered, “why?”

“Why didn’t you choose me?”

His voice cracked, pain leaking through his strength. “Did someone threaten you? Tell me. I’ll end them. I’ll burn down their pack if I have to.”

“No one threatened me, Cayden.”

“Then why?” he asked again, softer. “Why would you doubt me, after everything we’ve been through? After that night? Have you… have you fallen for one of them?”

I froze.

That night… the one at the river’s edge. The one where Darren had confessed his love to Cayden. I didn’t remember it not truly. I had read it. Over and over. Memorized it like scripture. But it wasn’t mine.

“No,” I said gently. “It wasn’t fake. None of it was. I just… Cayden, you don’t know what it feels like. To have the weight of the world three whole pack waiting on your single choice. What if I make the wrong one? What if coming to your pack is a mistake? What if I strengthen the wrong people?”

“You think I’d let anyone use you?” he snapped. His voice was raw. “Anyone even thinks about using you, I’ll rip them apart and feed their bones to their pack.”

“Look at me, Darren,” he pleaded, softer now. “You’re safe. With me, you’re always safe. Just… come back to me. You don’t need to do all this. You don’t need to make this hard.”

And for a moment, I wanted to fall into those light-red eyes. Let it all go. Let him take me home like it was meant to be.

He leaned in his lips a breath away.

But I turned my face.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I don’t know if it’s love I feel. Or if it’s just the pressure… or confusion. I need time. I need to be sure.”

His face hardened. The pain twisted behind his eyes, but he didn’t beg. Instead, he let out a breath, deep and heavy, and stood.

“I can’t,” he muttered, then stormed out of the carriage.

I watched him walk toward the lead pack carriage his shoulders tense, his steps heavy.

He’s supposed to be proving his love to me, I thought bitterly.

But deep down, I understood. Cayden was breaking. And I knew why because I knew his story. His burden. His fear of losing the one thing he thought was already his.

And now… he had to fight for it.

Cayden had always been trained by his father to lead the Blue Moon pack. He never had a real childhood room for laughter, softness, or dreams. Just training. Just control. Just discipline. He was raised not as a boy, but as a weapon. A protector. A future Alpha.

And the only thing, the only thing, that ever made him feel real… was Darren.

So watching me now, slipping through his fingers, splitting my heart in three… it must have shattered him. And I understood that. I truly did.

But it wasn’t my fault.

I mean, I wanted all of them. I couldn’t just pick one. I couldn’t just close a door on something when each of them stirred something raw, something deep inside me. I wanted them all to taste all three. Every time. Anytime.

And I only had a month.

Just one month to make that happen. And I planned to take full advantage of every single second.

Soon, we arrived at the Blue Moon pack. It was beautifully decorated clearly prepared for my arrival. They had expected me to choose them today.

And here I was.

I stepped down from the carriage, helped by one of the guards, and was immediately ushered into the pack’s palace. Or rather… their main territory. Their sacred home.

They had prepared a grand room for me, lavish, soft, yet regal. Everything was scented with night blooming flowers. The gentle rush of water echoed from nearby springs, and sunlight filtered in just enough to warm the floors.

I had read about the Blue Moon pack in the book and how the author describes it beautifully But nothing had prepared me for the beauty of being inside it.

They laid out a soft bed for me, rich with deep silvers and royal blues. They served food, rich and steaming. I barely touched it.

I asked to see Cayden.

They told me he wasn’t around.

And I understood. He needed somewhere to clear his head. He really needed that space. But then, something inside me growled.

What are you doing?

I paused. I looked around. What? Who is there?

And then I heard the growl again. What did you do?

I turned around, my body on high alert. Who is there? I demanded, gripping an old-looking mug with one hand, ready to defend myself.

That’s when I realized the growl wasn’t coming from anyone in the room. It was coming from inside me.

I dropped the mug in shock.

Who is there? I whispered, my voice trembling.

Then the realization hit like a wave. I am no longer myself. I'm a werewolf, A moon-chosen. I have a wolf inside me.

It was the wolf.

Darren's Wolf especially liked Cayden, and that was one of the many reasons he had chosen him. And I've offended today.

I’m sorry, I whispered, staring into the space around me. I don’t want only Cayden. I want all three.

The wolf’s voice cut through the silence, a deep growl of frustration.

You greedy fool, he snapped. You better pick Cayden and fix this nonsense mistake you’ve made.

I turned in my bed, speaking aloud to him in my mind. "Do you really think I can just settle for one? I asked. Look at them, Each of them is fucking perfect. And I have one more month. One more month to have them all, and I’m not backing down. Don’t you want that?"

" Don't you want to be fucked perfectly mercilessly by the three of them and have them worship you for one more month?"

The wolf didn’t answer. He kept quiet, and I knew I had won this round. But I also knew I couldn’t keep pretending.

The hours passed, and before I knew it, they brought me food. But by the time the night came, Caden still hadn’t returned, and I was left to my own thoughts.

My stomach groaned like it was hungry but not for food, an undeniable ache that only he could soothe for now. Fuck! Am I in heat? It was said that Darren has an unsatisfying heat that drives him crazy. I was hard. Very hard. I opened my robe for a peek-long, veiny, and throbbing. I slammed it shut so fast, face burning. God, I’m thick.

I closed my eyes, letting the thrill take me, my mind racing with thoughts of them. But as soon as I drifted to sleep, something heavy entered the room.

My eyes snapped open.

A pair of red eyes glowed in the dark above me, and my heart leaped to my throat.

Cayden

His voice filled the room, deep and commanding. "You want me to prove how much I love you, right?"

I blinked, barely able to breathe.

"Fuck. Fuck it, he growled. I’ll prove it. I will fucking prove it."

My wolf growled-responding in excitement.

This is going to be one hell of a night.